PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
2011> WWW.MKD.MK Founder and Editor-in-chief
2010> Media Print Macedonia Editor-in-chief of an on-line portal.
2008-2010> daily “Nova Makedonija” Editor-in-chief of the daily
newspaper “Nova Makedonija”. 2004-2008> daily “Vreme” Founder, general
manager and editor-in-chief of daily “Vreme”, a newspaper which in only
3 years had become the second largest daily in the country.
1996-2004> daily “Dnevnik” Co-founder and managing editor of “Dnevnik”,
a first private daily newspaper in Macedonia and the most influential
one in the country.
1990-1996> daily “Nova Makedonija” and news agency “Makpres” Journalist,
deputy-editor in chief. 1986-1990> weekly newspaper “Mlad borec”
Journalist.
ALSO:
1994-1998> General Secretary of Helsinki Committee for Human Rights –
Republic of Macedonia since its foundation – November 1994.
2003-2005> Teacher trainer at the Faculty for journalism at “St.Cyril
and Methodius” University in Skopje, Macedonia.
2003> Media expert for Media and terrorism session in Council of Europe.
AWARDS:
2008> Special award for investigative journalism, from Macedonian Media
Institute.
2004> Annual award for the News of the year, from Macedonian Informative
Agency.
EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATION:
1986 B.A. degree at the Faculty of Journalism, University “St.Cyril and
Methodius”, Skopje
LANGUAGES:
Macedonian (native speaker)
English, Russian, Serbian (fluent).
Bulgarian, Croatian (working knowledge).

Daria Grudić is a Distribution Manager in Deutsche Welle’s Distribution Europe team, working on content distribution in the Benelux countries and the German News Service (GNS) project across Europe, with a focus on the Balkans. Her work includes developing partnerships, promoting GNS among journalists and media organisations, and organising workshops and events for journalists, students and media NGOs.
Earlier in her career, Daria spent eight years working as a journalist and editor in Croatia across online, radio and print media. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from VERN’ University in Zagreb and a Master’s degree in Media Innovation from Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas). She joined Deutsche Welle in 2021.

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

2016 – Present Editor in Chief of www.sakamdakazam.mk (www.sdk.mk)

2016 – Present Executive Director of Sakam da kazam Association (SDKA)

2016 – Present Executive Director of SDK Mihajlovski LTD

2000 – 2015 Editor in Chief of Vest Daily, the biggest newspaper in Macedonia

2000 – 2015 Board Member of the Editorial Board of Vest Daily

2000 Founder of Vest Daily

2000 – April, 2012 Shareholder of Vest Daily

1998 – 2000 Editor in Chief of Vecer Daily

1995 – 2000 Board Member of the Editorial Board of Vecer Daily

1995 – 1998 Editor of the Foreign Affairs Section of Vecer Daily

1993 – 1996 Editor in Chief of Follow the Sun Inflight Review of Palair Macedonian, the first Macedonian airline company, published in Macedonian, Albanian and English

1989 – 1995 Staff Reporter at Vecer Daily

OTHER RELEVANT ENGAGEMENTS

2022 – 2027 Trainer educator of high school students in Media Literacy
Project of USAID – IREX

2007 – 2015 Professor at Faculty of Journalism at Sv. Kiril i Sv.
Metodij University, Skopje, teaches Editing in Journalism Practicum

PUBLISHED WORKS

2018 Sakam da kazam (Volume 5, 2012-2015) book of columns

2016 Sakam da kazam (Volume 1-4), e-books at www.sdk.mk

2011 Sakam da kazam (Volume 4, 2007 – 2010), book of columns

2007 Sakam da kazam (Volume 3, 2002 – 2006), book of columns

Editing in Journalism, Manuel for students

2004 Five Star Stories, book

2002 Sakam da kazam (Volume 2, 1997 – 2001), book of columns

1997 Sakam da kazam (Volume 1, 1991 – 1996), book of columns

LECTURES

2018 Panelist at Power in Our Pockets: the Business of News What to Do to Ensure Independent Reporting? – SEEMO Forum, Tirana, Albania

Global Editorial Summit, Lisbon, Portugal

Panelist at Digital Media and Sustainability Conference, Ohrid, Macedonia

2017 Panelist at Digital Born Media Conference, Kotor, Montenegro

Global Editorial Summit, Vienna, Austria

NDI Lecture for women politicians

2016 NDI Lecture for women politicians

2015 How to Make News From Your Product – Journalism vs. PR, Macedonian Chamber of Commerce

2013 Media – Tool and Partner in Advocacy

Keynote speaker at the panel Where Journalism Occurs, Weekend Media Festival – Rovinj, Croatia

2012 Media Panel of Chamber of Security of People and Property

2011 Speak Up! International Conference on Freedom of Expression, Brussels, organized by EU Commission

Political Parties and the Media in Democracy, Regional conference of NDI, Zagreb, Croatia

2010 Academy for Training of Judges and Prosecutors, Skopje

Keynote speaker at the panel: Is Real Journalism Dead?, Weekend Media Festival, Rovinj, Croatia

2009 Investigative Journalism Panel at the III South East Europe Media Forum, Tirana, Albania

2008 Ethical Journalism Initiative, European Association of Journalist Panel, Essen, Germany

AWARDS

2006 M. H. Jasmin State Award for Journalism

1998 Krste Misirkov Journalism Prize for the column Sakam da kazam

1993 Krste Misirkov Journalism Prize for the column Sakam da kazam

EDUCATION

1984 – 1988 Interdisciplinary Studies of Journalism at Sv. Kiril i Sv. Metodij University in Skopje. Graduated in 1988.

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

2010 Role of the Editor in Chief During the Elections, a study visit organized by MFA of Holland

2009 Role of the Editor in Chief During the Elections, a study visit of Bild newspaper, Berlin, organized by MFA of Germany

2008 Role of the Editor in Chief In Evening Newspapers, a study visit of Aftonbladet, Dagens Nyheter, Expressen newspapers and the Press Ombudsman of Sweden, In Stockholm, organized by MFA of Sweden

2006 Role of the Editor in Chief in German Newspapers, a study visit in Berlin, Hamburg, IV Program by German Government

2005 Role of the Editor in Chief in UK Newspapers, a study visit in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Program by FO and CO of UK
Government

2004 A study visit of Kronen Zeitung Vienna, organized by WAZ Media Group

2002 Role of the Editor in Chief in US Media, a study visit in Washington, New York, Minneapolis, San Francisco,
Tampa, IV Program of State Department for Covering Marginalized Groups

Katerina Veljanovska Blazhevska, PhD is a political scientist and analyst whose work bridges public policy, strategic communications, security, and geopolitics. She is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Security Studies, MIT University in Skopje, North Macedonia.

Her academic and professional journey spans leading international institutions, including the War Studies University in Warsaw, the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Germany, and Babeș-Bolyai University in Romania. She has been awarded competitive international scholarships and fellowships, such as the Jean Monnet Scholarship (in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute for Crisis Management), the University of Oslo Media program, the Visegrad Fund, and the Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

A U.S. State Department SUSI Scholar in American Foreign Policy and a Postdoctoral Fellow at Croatia’s Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO), Dr. Veljanovska Blazhevska brings an interdisciplinary perspective to conflict resolution, data governance, media and strategic communications, and policy development. Her portfolio includes designing and leading EU-funded initiatives, consulting on communication strategies, and serving as an external verifier on international projects.

She is the author of eight books and numerous scientific papers, contributing to the fields of media influence, public policy, and security governance. Her research and publications are widely recognized for linking theory with practice in communication and decision-making processes.

Beyond academia, she serves on multiple leadership and advisory boards, shaping strategic dialogue in both the public and private sectors. She currently contributes as an expert within the DSC2 – Defence, Democracy, and Security Strategic Communication Community and is a member of the Scientific and Academic Standards Board at the Stirling Centre, University of Stirling, UK.

With certifications from Carnegie Mellon University, the Center for Executive Education in Technology Policy, WIFI Austria, and TAG International, Dr. Veljanovska Blazhevska combines scholarly insight with hands-on expertise in communication, governance, and leadership. She is a frequent speaker at international conferences and forums, where she shares perspectives on the interplay between media, policy, and security in an evolving global landscape.

Michelle Roverelli, Director of Member Relations and Communications, EBU, Geneva, Switzerland

Michelle Roverelli is Director of Member Relations and Communications for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

A member of the EBU’s senior leadership team, Michelle oversees Member and Institutional Relations, Communications, Marketing and Events. She is responsible for strengthening engagement with the EBU’s Members across 57 countries, ensuring that the organisation responds effectively to their needs and priorities, and championing the role and interests of public service media across Europe and beyond.

Before joining the EBU, Michelle held senior positions at global public affairs and communications consultancies in Brussels and Geneva. She also worked for two of Brussels’ most influential business and industry representative organisations.

Michelle graduated in Political Science from Luiss Guido Carli University in Rome and earned a Master’s in European Union Policy and Economics from the Université libre de Bruxelles. She holds Italian, Australian and Swiss citizenship.

Philippe Tremblay joins as Director of the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media after five years as Head of External Co-operation in the Office of the OSCE Secretary General.

Prior to joining the OSCE in late 2018, he was a Canadian diplomat for 20 years, working abroad as Deputy Head of Mission and Acting Ambassador at the Embassy of Canada to Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, together with prior postings to Tokyo and New York. At Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa, he was Departmental Chief of Staff to two Foreign Affairs Ministers, Director of Planning in other government departments and fulfilled additional roles in the Protocol, Arms Control/Disarmament and Policy Planning Bureaus.

Earlier in his career, he contributed to the mission of other international organizations, including UNODC, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, the Atlantic Treaty Association and multiple G7 and G20 Summits and Ministerial meetings. Philippe was the 2015-16 Canada Fellow at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and holds degrees from Université Paris-1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna and the Université de Montréal.

Zaneta Trajkoska has nearly thirty years of experience in the communications field and has made significant contributions to media education and policy in Macedonia. She is Scientific Advisor/Professor with a Ph.D. in Political Science, currently serving as Director of the Institute of Communication Studies (ICS). Extensive experience in research and education in media, communications, journalism, and media literacy. Formerly held leadership positions at the School of Journalism and Public Relations (SJPR) and the Macedonian Institute for Media (MIM). She worked with domestic and international organizations on projects related to media education, strategic communication, public relations, development of communication strategies, media literacy, and public interest campaigns. Involved in designing journalism and PR curricula for undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as communication strategies for national institutions and civil society organizations.
Trajkoska’s expertise extends beyond training and academia into practical application. She has been involved in various national and international projects, providing her communication skills. Notably, she led ICS’s team that assisted the UK’s Government Communication Service in the development of the Government of North Macedonia’s communication strategy, which aimed to improve government transparency and enhance public engagement.
In the past, Trajkoska has worked as a consultant and PR expert for several USAID and EU projects, serving as a consultant to the Secretariat for European Affairs of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia for preparing communication strategies of the ministries for Macedonia’s EU integration. In the period 2006-2008, she was a member of the Commission for Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information, established by the Macedonian Parliament. She is an author, co-author, and editor of several research documents and academic papers on political communication, disinformation, propaganda, and media literacy.
Areas of research interest: political communication, propaganda, media manipulation, journalism and media development.